Haveloche corporation Essay Example for Free

Haveloche corporation Essay Haveloche Corporation is a research and development company, which translates into sporadic cash flows over time. There are times when genius ideas bring in lots of cash flow for the company. However, there are also times where those genius ideas are shelved because no one has an interest in that patent. The ever changing cash flows prove to be difficult for decision making, especially when it comes to whether the company should give back to its investors or not. Haveloche is constantly faced with the predicament of deciding what dividend policy is best for the organization and the investors. The company’s CEO listed the stock prices and dividends for us to look at. There are 3 theories of investor preference for dividend versus capital gains: (1) Dividend Irrelevance Theory or Modigliani Miller (2) â€Å"Bird-in-the-hand† Theory (3) Tax Preference Theory. According to Modigliani Miller (MM), the dividend policy has not effect on the stock price of the firm or the cost of capital. This theory states that investors reinvest the dividends back into the firm and the firm’s value is only based on the income produced from its assets, and not the dividends and retained earnings. According to the second theory, the â€Å"Bird-in-the-hand† theory, dividends are known and stable and capital gains are unknown and uncertain. The dividend is less risky than capital gains. The risk of the firm’s cash flows in the long run is determined by the dividend payout policy according to this theory. According to the third theory, Tax Preference Theory, capital gains are preferred over dividends. Due to time value of money, a dollar paid in the future on taxes has a lower cost than a dollar paid on taxes in the present. Capital gains typically have better tax advantages than dividends, which is why some investors prefer to invest in companies that minimize dividends. Based on the scatter plot, I would have to say that Haveloche has chosen a variety of these different theories over the years since they have been paying dividends. When the company needed to reinvest the money back into the company, they dividend was lowered. When the company had plenty of extra cash lying around, the dividend payout increased. Haveloche has been paying a dividend since its initial IPO, but those dividends vary from year to year. One could argue that the dividend is guaranteed each year based on history, but the investor does not have a clue as to how what that dividend will be based off. Moreover, if you take a look at the stock price from year to year, it widely fluctuate up and down. Investors in this do not know from year to year if the company’s patents are going to strike it rich or if they are just going to be shelved. It being an RD company, it is a risky company, which investors know prior to taking the plunge with investing their hard earned money. Haveloches business is based on the unknown of whether the patents will be useful to electronics companies. The company may come up with something that it deems the next big thing, but it may not find a company that wants to use it. Investors in Haveloche are not in it specifically for the dividends. Investors are hoping for heavy payouts if Haveloche makes it big. The company needs to do more research and look into which dividend policies are working for the other small R;D companies that work on patent projects. With more information and results, Haveloche would be able to make a more intelligent business decision about which dividend policy it should choose.

Stakeholder Project Organization

Stakeholder Project Organization The Stakeholder would be someone who is concerned, an engaged or interested in a project. Stakeholder is individuals or organizations that have a straight concentration in a service being provided. There are three categories of user primary, secondary and tertiary. Example: Employees, customers, suppliers, Local community. 1.1 .1 PRIMARY STAKEHOLDERS: Primary stakeholders are those people and groups ultimately who are affected by the project. That will be differ depends on the types of project concerned and should be analyzed according to criteria such as gender, income levels, dependence on resources, etc. The primary stakeholders are the most important of the organization. People or group who are ultimately impacted either positively (beneficiaries) or negatively (for example, competitors). The users are those likely to be frequent hands on user of the organization. Example Regional Nature Conservation Authority Ministry of Environment, Forestry, Regional Planning, etc Activity:- Landowner and or residents in the forest Forestry companies Tourism operator Recreational and other user 1.1.2 SECONDARY STAKEHOLDER: Secondary stakeholders are the intermediaries in the aid delivery process. The secondary users are occasional user or those who use the system through an intermediary. People or groups who have a role in the decision making process without being directly affected by the outcome. Example Local business Landowner and residents not inside the protected area but near Environment NGOs 1.1.3 TERTIARY STAKEHOLDER: Tertiary users are those affected by the introduction of the system, or who will influence its purchase. Tertiary stake holder can still have an influence, but are not directly involved. Example Local opinion leader Local media Ecological department of universities, research institutes Environmental inserts or special programs of national media 1.2. Scope Document: The scope document is a general term for any document that refines and defined the requirements aspect of the triple constraint of time, cost, and requirements. 1.2.1 Purpose of a scope document: The purpose of this document is to collect, analyze, and define high-level needs and features of that system. It focuses on the capabilities needed by the projects. The scope statement is generally confined to a few paragraphs or pages, the scope document may be a far more substantial document. It captures information from a variety of sources and places it in a single repository. As an alternative, it may largely be a document that provides reference to other documentation in other locations. Specifically identifying those locations and the information embedded in that documentation. 1.2.2 Contents of a scope document: Executive Summary: It contains the overall information about the project in a short summary documentation. Description of the Proposed Action The various types of action and processes will be taken to accomplish the project. The description of all those action and processes is documented here. Project Purpose, Need and Benefits Background and History of project Cornell and Public Need for the Proposed Action Objectives of the project Benefits that will be gain to meet the objective. Neighborhoods Consideration about the business competitors, about their activity. Project Deliverables Description of all deliverables that will establish the successful completion of the project Project Boundaries The project development area is defined here with specifications. Resource needs The resource that will be needed to complete the project successfully, all are documented here. Cost Contain specific plan about the cost estimates to prevent misunderstanding later. Payment plan Define when and how project development team should be paid for the project Task-2 Introduction: There are some visual forms to help us our project. There are different stages in the development of the project and that stage can focused to use some visual form. While planning to develop a project many factors and issues should be considered before getting into the project and what are more stages in the total life cycle is vital for the successful implementation of the project and that stages are focused by the visual form. You can focus of all your project stage by using visual form. 2.1 Life Cycle Model:- The term project lifecycle models how a project is planned controlled and monitored from its inception to its completion. Project life cycle model are not similar. To deliver a quality system, its critical to know the risk facing your project and to use models that reduce those risks. Life cycle models describe the phase of the projects and the order in which those phase are executed. Each phase produce deliverables required by the next stage in the life cycle. There are some life cycle models is Waterfall Model, V-shape model, Spiral model and etc. 2.1.1 Waterfall Life Cycle Model: The waterfall life cycle was the first attempt at the definition of software development life cycle. The concept of a waterfall in this model suggests that one stage is completed before the next one starts and the diagram exactly show that concept. Stage completion is judged by the outcome of the stage matching the requirements defined by the previous stage. Requirements Analysis Diagram: Waterfall Model Requirements Specification System Design Code Test Implement Maintenance The water model is very simple diagram. The model is showing some lifecycle activities. The waterfall model is very simple to use and easy to manage due to the inflexibility of the model because each stage has specified deliverables and a review processes. Those stages are completed one at a time. That is best for small project where requirement are much understood. 2.1.2 V Model: The life cycle models heart of the v-Model. It describes the activity and products in the V-Model. Just like the waterfall model, the v-shaped life cycle is a sequential path execution of processor. Each stage must be completed before the next stage begins. Testing is emphasized in this model more so than the waterfall model though. The testing procedures are developed early in the life cycle before any coding is done, during each of the phase preceding implementation. Maintenance Initial Concept Requirements definition Software Design Detailed Design Code Unit Test Acceptance Test Integration and Test Tested Software Tested System Test Modules Diagram: The V Model The sequential lifecycle diagram is easy to understand, it easy to focus what the plan a project according to a sequential approach. The V-Model maintains the change control board and they meets once a year and processes all received change request on the V-Model. That supports tailoring, at each project starts, the V-Model is tailoring into a specific project. The tailoring makes it possible because the V-Model is organization and project independent. The V-Model produces actual support on how to implement an activity. In each activity scheme there are instructions, recommendation and detailed explanation of the activ 2.2. The Activity Networks: The activity network is a technique for pictorial representing a project plan. It shows dependencies between all the activities that have to be created. The most important part of activity diagram is the Critical path. Activity networks find out the all activity and find out who activity dependence to others. And the process of creating network begins with the drawings up of dependency list. The processes assign independence to each product or activity and specifies it backwards dependency. EST Duration EFT Activity Description LST Float LFT 8 5 13 E 19 11 24 22 2 24 I 22 0 24 24 4 28 J 24 0 28 28 28 3 5 8 C 14 11 19 3 6 9 G 18 15 24 9 13 22 H 9 0 22 13 7 20 F 15 2 22 9 4 13 D 11 2 13 0 3 3 A 0 0 3 3 6 9 B 3 0 9 0 0 Diagram: Activity Networks The activity networks show the activity by a box with sections used to hold key pieces of information. The show the activity starts time, finished time and there duration. They show last start time, finished time and there float. For example the boxes (nodes) A, B, C, D, E, etc represent the activities and the arrows, or connectors, represent the dependencies between the activities. And provide the information of which are activities are much more critical. The diagram contains the some visual information are: Earliest Start and Finished Time Latest Start and Finished Time The Critical Path Dependency Type 2.2.1 Earliest Start and Finished Time:- Earliest Start Time (EST): The earliest points are shown when the activities are started. The next activities (box) earliest start time (EST) dependence on previous finished time (EFT). Earliest Finished Time (EFT): the earliest point are illustrate the activities finished time. The EFT depends on what the activities duration. The activities duration calculate (EFT = EST + Duration) the EST and produce the Earliest Finished Time (EFT). 2.2.2 Duration: The diagram is show the activities duration. That is easy to find out which activities times are defined. The important point about this is that it is not until the activity network has been completed, and the dependencies combined with the estimated elapsed durations, that the project manager can be confident about the predicted elapsed duration and whether a specific end date is achievable or not. 2.2.3 Latest Start Time and Finished:- Latest Start Time (LST): They LST provide the information of the latest time that the activity in question can begin, without causing subsequent jobs to overrun. Latest Finished Time (LFT): The latest time that the activity in question can finish, without causing subsequent jobs to overrun. Float: The earliest points are show the time of who much needs to time the activity are finished. They use to some mechanism to provide the information. Working backward through the network, the mechanism is: LFT of an activity = LST of succeeding activity. LST of an activity = LFT Duration. 2.2.4 Critical Path:- The diagram (visual form) is very attractive you can easily find out which activities are critical. If any activity has no Float, as in the case you can understand that the activities are more critical and this called the Critical Path. That helps to the project. These activities are high risk, so The superlative people can put on them They can easily monitored frequently of the activity The estimating can be re-examined for their liability to any risk of overrunning. 2.2.5 Dependency Type: The visual form can easily help us to find out the dependency of our project activities. That can show to which activities are depending to other. â€Å"We have assumed that an activity cannot start until the previous one has finished. This is not always the case. Sometimes activities can overlap, for example, where one activity is design programs and the successor is code programs these can go almost on parallel but there must be delay before the start of the letter activity.† 2.3. Mind Maps:- â€Å"Mind Map is diagram used to represent an expression of radiant thinking and is therefore a natural function of human mind†. This visual form is very interesting that can generate an imaging idea of any projects. Mind Mapping is useful technique that improves the way you take notes, and support and enhances your creative problem solving. By using Mind Maps, you can quickly identify and structure of a subjects and the way that pieces of information fit together, as well as recording the row facts contained in normal notes. Mind maps are tools which help you think and learn. FIG: Mind Map 2.3.1 Key Ideas in a project: That is applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance. The mind map has some essential characteristic: The subject of attention is crystallized in a central image The man themes of the subject radiate from the central image of branches Branches hold a key image/word printed on the associated line details radiate out The branches from a connected model structure Mind Maps are more compact than conventional note, often taking up one side of paper. This helps you to make associations easily. And if you find out more information after you have drawn the main Mind Map. Then you can easily add it in. Mind Map is also easily useful for: Can summarized information That can easily Consolidating information from different research sources Its help to thinking through complex problems and Presenting your information in a design that shows the overall structure of your subject Task-3 3.1. TUCKMAN Theory: Bruce tuckman has provided the theory to develop a successful project team. There have five stage of group development. His research led him to determine four phase of group development those are- Forming Storming Norming Performing And the last stage is Adjourning. Forming: personal relations are characterized by dependence in this stage. Storming: in this stage, the characterized by achievement and argument in the personal relations dimensions an organization in the task-functions dimension. Norming: in the stage, the interpersonal relations are characterized by cohesion. Performing: This stage are not reached by all groups, if group members are grow to stage four, their ability, variety, and depth of personal relation are expand to true interdependence. Adjourning: That stage involves the execution of task behaviors and disengagement from relationship. 3.2. BELBIN Theory: Dr Meredith Belbin defined a team role as: â€Å"A tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way†. Belbin identified nine cluster of behaviors team, terms team role. Those are- Co-ordinator: the co-ordinator may not stand out in a team and usually does not have a sharp intellect. Shaper: He or She will challenge, argue or disagree and will display aggression in the pursuit of goal achievement. Two or three shaper in a group, according to Belbin, can lead to conflict, aggravation and in-fighting. Plant: Weaknesses are a tendency to disregard practical details and argumentativeness. Resources Investigator: Weakness are a tendency to lose interest after initial fascination with an idea, and they are not usually the source of original ideas. Company worker/implementation: Implementers are conservative, inflexible and slow to respond to new possibilities. Monitor evaluator: Weakness are that they appear dry and boring or even over-critical. They are not good at inspiring others. Those in high level appointments are often monitor evaluators. Team worker: They tend to be indecisive in moments of crisis reluctant to do things that might hurt others. Completer finishers: Weaknesses according to Belbin, are that they tend to be over anxious and have difficulty letting go and delegating work. Specialist: their weaknesses are single-mindedness and a lack of interest in other peoples. 3.3. MYERS_BRIGGS theory: The Myers-Briggs personality typology, unlike some other typing theories such as the Enneagram or Four Temperaments, uses a combination of several aspects to arrive at a â€Å"composite† type, based on the interaction and relative weight of different behavioural and attitudinal factors. The types are expressed as combinations of four letters, as follows: E or I (Extravert or Introvert) S or N (Sensing or iNtuitive) T or F (Thinking or Filling) J or P (Judging or Perceiving) E/I preference: interest the world around you. S/N preference: how you gather the information about the world. T/F preference: how you evaluate that information. J/P preference: your attitude to the world. These four pairs give 16 possible combinations, some of which are more common I the population than others. I will use myself as the worked example in what follows as I am the nearest subject to hand. 3.4. Knowledge from Tuckman, Belbin, and Myers-Briggs theory to develop a project team 3.4.1 Tuckman theory: Tuckman theories originally give me the knowledge of groups. How the way to observed group evolve, whether they were conscious of it or not. And I understand how to move the performed in the stage. The forming stage is describing the characters of each group members. And next stage they are comments to each other. Group might be happily Norming and performing stage because they are understood to each other. 3.4.2 Belbin theory: I collect the some information of Belbin theories. That is each team role has its particular strength and allow able weaknesses, and each has an essential contribute to make to a team. Every member needs different time to her/his roles. 3.4.3 Myers-Briggs: That theory simple to helps an aide-memoire for people who have done the profile, and give a flavor of how it works if its new to you. The theory helps to how we deal with the world around us. How you gather the information about the world and how you evaluate that information and your attitude. Generally if Im a project manager then I select and develop of an effective project team to follow some idea. First fall check every team members are polite behaviors and the members have more confident. And identifies the members are communicate more openly with each other and then I will make a project team. The members are keen to be accepted into team and look the team leader for guidance and direction. The members are eager to be accepted. 3.5. Risk of Team Failure: There are common problems:- 3.5.1 No Trust between the Team Members: That is most and effective problem to a group. When team members do not trust to each other or are suspicious of each others motives, the end result is a team that is not interrelated in its approach. So we are assessment the team members are related to each other. 3.5.2 Ineffective Interaction and Unproductive Team Meeting: Some of important time all team members comes to attend the meeting. The meeting is one of the most critical aspects of the team process with strategies and innovative to problems emerging during this time. 3.5.3 Poor Role Clarity: When roles are not clearly defined, this can lead to conflict and confusion on tasks. So team member can not understand what exactly is expected of each of them. So identify who is responsible to each tasks and identify they are confidently done this tasks. 3.5.4 Poor Time Management: A team should plan its goal and activities whilst keeping time constraints and deadlines in mind, otherwise their efficiency level in managing and implementing a task can suffer. While a team analysis any task they should define who many times are needed to each task. They are trying to finish that task proper time. 3.5.5 Losing Focus of Business Objective: If every member can unclear the goals of team so they lose of directions and lose of focus efficiency products. And turn lead to wrongly prioritized activities. While a team can identify their goals they can lead better direction and focus the efficient products. 3.5.6 Faulty Analysis of Market Conditions and Flawed Company Policies: If a team can fail to reservations in market condition 3.6. Risk Matrix: This is the simple method to raise visibility of risk and assist the management to make decision against all the risk that arise. It is a graphical representation of information normally found in existing risk logs. Risk matrix is easy to use, unless they are designed properly High Medium Low High Medium Low Consequence Likelihood A A A B B B C C C FIG: Risk Estimation Matrix (From MBP book of NCC Education) 3.6.1 Notes: How to assess the Risk of team failure. A risk assessment is simply a careful checking of what, and identify of any event that if occurred. It may be negatives or positives in our team. There are many reasons for a team can breakdown. So we are researched before making a team. That helps get greater strategic thinking and enhances creativity the proper solution when a team failure. 3.7. Contingency Plan: The contingency plan helps to identify what I will do if the risk occurs. The points are discussed here encapsulate the key issues that can lead to team failure. Team managers and team leaders have to take measures to protect the team from these chains that can wrap themselves around the team and collapse its performance. Diagnosing is the first step to solving the problem. Some of the issues such as role clarity or losing focus of business objectives can be solved by a discussion with the team members. Some of the other problems like poor trust, poor time management, and poor team interaction can be better tackled through team building exercises. Lets now look at the other side of the points, success. If success is what the team is after, then what is it that is expected of teams? What should they do to be successful? Understand their goals Interact, communicate effectively, explore ideas and innovative approaches Be loyal, co-operative, willing to share information and lend a helping hand Understand market realities and develop a sound strategy Keep time frames in mind Know their responsibility within the team and focus on results All this may seem like a tall order but is actually achievable. Everybody on a team is naturally equipped to deal with these factors, the only exception being ‘flawed company policies, which is up to corporate management to resolve. When teams in an organization show problems, then the solution may lie in a deeper analysis of the problem and exploring the areas mentioned above to find a solution. Task 4 Validation and Verification is the process of checking that the product. 4.1. Verification: 4.1.1 Definition: â€Å"Am I building the product right?† The process of determining whether or not the products of given phase of the software development cycle fulfill the requirement established during the previous phase 4.1.2 Purpose The purpose of Verification is to ensure that selected products meet specified requirements. The interpretation of this process area for business development is to ensure business development work products meet specified objectives and criteria. A key work product is the customer proposal. It should be verified that it meets customer-specified needs by conducting a readiness. 4.1.3 Importance: It is important to verify that the business development products meet the external customers needs. Verification increases the likelihood that offered products and services will be accepted by the customer, but it does not guarantee success. Verification is necessary but not sufficient. The business development campaign should include verification milestones throughout the process. Does the proposal meet the buyers specification? What are the risks in the proposal? Do marketing collateral and advertising meet the defined goals and objectives of the campaign? These types of question arise in a project for verification. 4.1.4 Features: verification addresses whether the work product properly reflects the specified requirements Verification includes verification of the product and intermediate work products against all selected requirements, including customer, product and product component requirements. Verification is inherently an incremental process because it occurs throughout the development of the product and work products, Verification of work products substantially increases the likelihood that the product will meet the customer, product, and product component requirements. 4.2. Validation: 4.2.1 Definition: Am I building the right product? Validation is the process that checks the product design satisfies and fits. That provides a high degree of assurance that a product, services, and system accomplished its intended usage â€Å"you built the right product†. There are few terms uses in validation process: Code validation/Testing Function validation/Testing User acceptance Testing or system validation 4.2.2 Purpose: The purpose of Validation is to demonstrate that a product fulfills its intended use when placed in its intended environment. The interpretation of this process area for business development is to validate and to demonstrate that a campaign product or service fulfills its intended use in support of the business development campaign objectives. 4.2.3 Importance: The proposal is a key product of the marketing effort. Prospective customers base their decisions largely on the organizations proposal. Because knowing how to develop a good proposal is critical core competency for business development, it is important to evaluate the readiness of the offer before it is submitted to the customer. The following types of question may in project for validation. What is the size of the market? Is the market growing or contracting? What influences this movement 4.2.4 Features: validation can be applied to work products as well as to the product and product components Validation is to demonstrate that a product or product component fulfills its intended use when placed in its intended environment. Validation demonstrates that the product, as provided, will fulfill its intended use 4.3. Verification and Validation in a Project Lifecycle The need and importance of verification and validation in a project are stated below with a life cycle model. The V-model Operation Test Stress Test Business Analysis Requirements Definition Functional Design Technical Design Programming Source Code Technical Design Functional Design System Requirements Business Requirements Live Simulation Acceptance Test System Test Link Test Unit Test Environment Test SPECIRYING TEST INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT VERIFYING SRAGE 4.3.1 Verification and validation in V model Here validation is taken in the primary stage which named requirements specification to check all the information in accurate and exact for build the project. With the information of previous stage the design stage is developed. Verification is done after the design process to develop evidence of design solution requirements compliance. A shorthand statement of the meaning of verification is commonly voiced as, â€Å"Am I building the product right?† Verification technique aims to detect and aid the designer to correct mistake during the product developments.. After the design is verified, the conceptual model and its associated design are converted into code or hardware by the developer. Code verification and hardware checkout ensure that the detailed design is being implemented correctly in the code or hardware respectively. Code verification normally entails detailed desk checking and software testing of the code, comparing it to the detailed design, documenting any discrep ancies and fixing any problems discovered. Other important activities include participating in code testing, audits, walkthroughs, and inspections; validating input data; preparing complexity report; conducting code analysis; and verifying code structure. Integration checking also sorted out by verification testing to address that is all component of the product or part is integrated properly and accurately. Validation and verification are present throughout all the phase of product life cycle and are composed of a wide variety of activities. The validation and verification activities are detection and correction of errors. In incremental assessment, which verification and validation activities provide at each phase of the process model. The information gives the progressive view of the productivity of the development process and quality of the product. 4.3.2 In a project life cycle verification and validation can arise in different stages. Those are mentioned below Requirements Interface requirements Developmental plans Configuration Management Plan Quality Assurance Plans Studies and Analyses 4.3.3 Checking Procedure of verification and validation Checked all the item that may need for the project development Requirement are checked through validation Test all the module for integrating correctly Design of the development mu

Peace of God Essay -- Essasys Papers

Peace of God The â€Å"Peace of God† encompasses a wide array of definitions. â€Å"Peace of God† is a gift from God. It is simpler than the peace that we may think. For example, I picked a sample of three gentlemen in my fraternity and asked them what is their first thought that arises with the phrase â€Å"Peace of God.† The responses in order was: . A society without wars . A God that condemns wars . A union of all religions. As interesting as their responses are, my research has found that the peace that God has endowed within his people are, â€Å"peace of mind and heart.† Site http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/ice/peace.html exhibits an interesting viewpoint of â€Å"Peace of God.† It begins by defining peace from the bible, where peace came from a Greek word â€Å"eireinei,† which refers to the â€Å"mental attitude of tranquility based on a relationship with God in the Christian way of life.† The site further analyzes â€Å"peace† in two ways. â€Å"There is a personal peace of God which comes when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior.† â€Å"There is the peace of God which is available on a daily basis as the believer participates in the Christian way of life according to the plan of God.† The site continues further by emphasizing that â€Å"Peace of God is never available apart from Grace.† Essentially through God's Grace, he dissolved the barrier between man and God. So that when â€Å"the unbeliever responds to Grace by faith, the result is peace.† Another site I found interesting in the way they defined â€Å"peace† was http://www.wolfe.net/~bibline/info/peace.html. This site contains diverse definitions of the biblical view of â€Å"peace.† Although this site does not exactly define the phrase â€Å"Peace of God,† the ... ...safety, and calmness†. Although I believe I have concluded my search for the â€Å"Peace of God,† I decided to search one more site. The site that I found is http://www.calvarychapel.com/lakevilla/tracts/peace.htm, which similar to the former site. It begins by defining God's peace in two ways, â€Å"Freedom from worries, troubles, and fears.† â€Å"Peace of mind: a state of friendliness and calm.† These two definitions regarding the peace of God are relevant in the life of a chivalrous knight in that a knight faces adversity many times. One cannot be worried or troubled because it is a waste of energy. For if a knight is constantly worried and afraid, he cannot have enough courage to defeat his enemy. Also without a â€Å"state of friendliness and calmness,† a knight is not being chivalrous if he does not have peace of mind and acts ungentlemanly – like.

Liberal Equality Essay -- Political Science

Throughout the ages, the principles of equality and liberty have been a subject of great disputes. Liberal minimalism [1] holds a distinct outlook in the explicit implications of these expressions. For a minimalist democracy must strive to primary reduce control of authoritarian power through restraining most if not all constraints to the individual, allowing them to dictate their own lives by implementing a representative government. In addition, it implements an equal, consistent, and indiscriminate regulation. Thus effectively preventing tyranny, and creating equality before the law, irrelevant to the citizen’s position, which denies high ranking individuals legal advantages seen during the feudal era. Accordingly, the rule of law comes across to liberals as their greatest triumph, for they perceive it as the lawful representation of equality and liberty. There are numerous critics of the liberal minimalist interpretation of equality and social liberty before the law. Such as inequalities of opportunity, and material inequality which results in exploitation. However, liberals will reject â€Å"to impose upon the public a consciously selected model of distribution, whether it promotes equality or of inequality.†[2] Numerous critics agree that capitalism in the liberal minimalist model does not depict true equality and thus is problematic. Critics such as Sherman dispute that it produces "formal equality, such as civil rights, yet presents actual ongoing inequality for employees (Sherman, 1990)[3]. Nevertheless, despite the fact that liberals may possibly appear to support significant material equity, they will be cautious of forcefully creating this result through authoritarianism on the basis of their belief.[4] The reduced goal... ...27 11, Cohen G, 1989, Labor and Freedom, Oxford University Press, Oxford 12, (Marx, economic and philosophical manuscripts, p.120-31, Ollman, 1971). 13 Friedman M, 1962, Capitalism and Freedom, Chicago University Press 14 Frank R. and Cook P, 1996, The Winner-Take-All Society, Penguin press, New York: Penguin 15 Graham G, 2006, Postcapitalist Politics, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis 16 Street, P. Capitalism and Democracy "Don't Mix Very Well", February, 2000. 17 Rothbart M, 1998, The Ethics of Liberty: chp 14, Children and Rights,. New York University press, New York 18 Hayek F, 1994, The Road to Serfdom, Chicago University press, Chicago 19 Hayek F, 1994, The Road to Serfdom, Chicago University press, Chicago 20 Hayek F, 1994, The Road to Serfdom, Chicago University press, Chicago Liberal Equality Essay -- Political Science Throughout the ages, the principles of equality and liberty have been a subject of great disputes. Liberal minimalism [1] holds a distinct outlook in the explicit implications of these expressions. For a minimalist democracy must strive to primary reduce control of authoritarian power through restraining most if not all constraints to the individual, allowing them to dictate their own lives by implementing a representative government. In addition, it implements an equal, consistent, and indiscriminate regulation. Thus effectively preventing tyranny, and creating equality before the law, irrelevant to the citizen’s position, which denies high ranking individuals legal advantages seen during the feudal era. Accordingly, the rule of law comes across to liberals as their greatest triumph, for they perceive it as the lawful representation of equality and liberty. There are numerous critics of the liberal minimalist interpretation of equality and social liberty before the law. Such as inequalities of opportunity, and material inequality which results in exploitation. However, liberals will reject â€Å"to impose upon the public a consciously selected model of distribution, whether it promotes equality or of inequality.†[2] Numerous critics agree that capitalism in the liberal minimalist model does not depict true equality and thus is problematic. Critics such as Sherman dispute that it produces "formal equality, such as civil rights, yet presents actual ongoing inequality for employees (Sherman, 1990)[3]. Nevertheless, despite the fact that liberals may possibly appear to support significant material equity, they will be cautious of forcefully creating this result through authoritarianism on the basis of their belief.[4] The reduced goal... ...27 11, Cohen G, 1989, Labor and Freedom, Oxford University Press, Oxford 12, (Marx, economic and philosophical manuscripts, p.120-31, Ollman, 1971). 13 Friedman M, 1962, Capitalism and Freedom, Chicago University Press 14 Frank R. and Cook P, 1996, The Winner-Take-All Society, Penguin press, New York: Penguin 15 Graham G, 2006, Postcapitalist Politics, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis 16 Street, P. Capitalism and Democracy "Don't Mix Very Well", February, 2000. 17 Rothbart M, 1998, The Ethics of Liberty: chp 14, Children and Rights,. New York University press, New York 18 Hayek F, 1994, The Road to Serfdom, Chicago University press, Chicago 19 Hayek F, 1994, The Road to Serfdom, Chicago University press, Chicago 20 Hayek F, 1994, The Road to Serfdom, Chicago University press, Chicago

What is Post-Modernism? Essay -- Philosophy, Modernism

What is Post-Modernism? The aim of this essay is to explain how Post-Modernism has influenced our contemporary built environment and explain what other movements have derived from it. I would argue that Post-Modernism is a worldwide movement in all arts and disciplines. A definition of postmodernism will provide a better understanding of the trend that would show how it is relevant to contemporary culture and important for the future. Postmodernism became an important movement right after the Second World War, and the movement spread around Europe and North America during the early 20th century. According to Malpas, S. (2005, p.12) Postmodernism, focus on style and methods of representation, and is often interpreted as a successor to modernism. Similar to Architecture, postmodernism influenced all kind of art such as: Art, music, theatre, literature, dance and even photography. In the work of Best, S. and Kellner, D. â€Å"Postmodern turn† (1997, p.152) they state that postmodern architecture was a particular reaction to the aesthetics and as they describe â€Å"Philosophical assumptions† of the International Style. This is because one believes that the International style was refusing to incorporate the architectural forms of previous generations as if they were trying to detach themselves from the past. In contrary Best, S. and Kellner, D. (1997, p.153) claim that postmodernism returns to the past to combine and play with different styles, it embraces it for its rich symbolic and stylistic sources. In contrast to modernism, which rejects history. Postmodernist retuned to the past because they believed that we shouldn’t forget about our past, especially with what happen during the Second World War. So architects believe... ... If they try to sort out problems within the form of the building there it a chance that certain parts of the building with have no function, or the other way round. If they try to solve the problem of certain function in the building, then there is a chance that the form or the build might not have a standard form. He continues by stating, â€Å" we know longer argue the precedence of form or function, we cannot deny their interdependence†. Complexity of a program has often accompanied simplicity of form like early Le Corbusier. More recent explanation for the simplicity in architecture, are various expansions of Mies Van der Rohe, contradictory â€Å"Less is more†. In response to Mies van der Rohe’s famous proclamation, Venturi replied: â€Å"Less is a bore.† Above all, Copeland (1983, p.39) claims Venturi pits himself against the modernists’ obsession with purity.

Rough Draft Senior Paper

Well a psychiatrist is a hygienic who attends their clients behavioral, emotional, and mental symptoms (Ferguson, 157). They help people in many different ways. Some people are prescribed medicine because they feel that just talking to someone isn't helping and others can go talk to a psychiatrist and feel relieved like they don't need anything more than to talk to someone about their problems. Some psychiatric medications can be called psychotherapeutic or psychotropic medication (Mental, NP). Psychiatric medication wasn't developed until the sass's (Ferguson, 186).In days that are owe long forgotten, society stigmatize people with mental illnesses so much that they were kept chained up in asylums (Ferguson, 187). People also used to categorize people who were in prison and people with mental illnesses as the same thing. Until one day somebody brought up the fact that they didn't think it was right. So then a few years later, they resulted in moving them to different sides of the ho spital. Some people, taking meds, can function better. And they may only need to take them for a short amount of time (Mental, NP).Taking medication doesn't always cure the disorder, but it helps to make the errors function better (Mental, NP). Patients trust is key, which takes time and patience (Mescaline, Margaret, 22). Not having their trust creates problems such as the patients aren't being helped in any way because they can't trust psychiatrists enough to talk to them, or the business might lose money because there are no clients that come because the psychiatrists can't be trusted. To keep on track and up to date, psychiatrists need to be very organized because there is a bunch of paperwork that people have to fill out and deal with (Mescaline, Margaret, 25).Psychiatrists also need to have the ability to have emotional strength so when they find out that a child is sad or angry, it does not affect the psychiatrist (Mescaline, Margaret, 25). This also helps because they do not want to get attached to a child. So they have to stay emotional and physically distant from them, but closer enough to give them comfort and support. TO even become a psychiatrist, people need to have a college degree in Psychology, Sociology, or Social Work to become a child therapist (Mescaline, Margaret, 24).Also, must have a Master's degree from an accredited college or university. People absolutely have to do their rouser work and they will need to have supervised practice with patients (Mescaline, Margaret, 25). Must have very good observing skills, because this allows them to understand what children will not tell them (Mescaline, Margaret, 24). Also have to be open-minded, and have to be able to adapt to different types of situations very quickly (Mescaline, Margaret, 24). Psychiatrists need to know what they are supposed to be doing, and they need to know how to do it.Psychiatrists can prescribe medicine (Ferguson, 187). As people might have thought a psychiatrist and a ps ychologist are the amen thing, but they aren't. They are two totally different things. They work close to 52 hours a week, and remember that they are always on call (Ferguson, 192). Wow, that's more hours than a full time job! When psychiatrists are meeting a client for the first time, they like to conduct an evaluation with the patient so they can find out more about them such as current situations as well as medical history (Ferguson, 187).When clients express their feelings, it helps to give the psychiatrist a detailed picture of what is going on, how people really feel, and how the psychiatrist should treat oh (Ferguson, 188) What some humans don't realize is that there are different types of therapy to help out as well as medication, and talking to people. There is something called psychotherapy, which is when the patient is conjuring images while lying on a couch, the psychiatrist is taking copious notes at the same time (Ferguson, 187). Patient talks freely and relaxes.Therap ist's goal is to uncover troubling subconscious beliefs or conflicts and their causes. Dreams can also be broken down for clues about the unconscious mind. Subconscious events often lead to neurosis. Neurosis is an motional disorder in which the client displays anxious behavior (Ferguson, 188). There is also something called behavioral therapy, which is when the psychiatrists are teaching them to use relaxation to change their behavior. Psychiatrists could also use Biofeedback. This method uses electronic monitors that measure the effects that thoughts and feelings have on muscle tension, heart rate, and brain waves.This is done so that the patient can learn to control the body through stress reduction consciously (Ferguson, 188). Ever thought about what could be in these possibly harmful medications? Well scientists have done a few tests to see if psychiatric drugs are the safest to use. They have figured out that, some medications react differently with everyone. It all depends on how well people's bodies take it. People react differently when taking these psychiatric medications (Mental, NP). Factors such as what type of mental disorder the person has, their age, sex, and body.Also the habits they might have, genetics, physical illness, how well their liver and kidney functions, and other medications they are taking can affect how these drugs work in different people (Mental, NP). There is a bad side to everything, just like the negative effects of taking psychiatric medicines. When taking these medicines the person's weight, glucose levels and lipid levels need to be checked frequently (Mental, NP). Doctor's do this to ensure that the person's body hasn't reacted in a bad way; they want to make sure this person stays healthy while taking psychiatric medications.Usually antispasmodics are pills, but can also be in the liquid form. The liquid form is referred to as a shot; this person would go get it about once or twice a month (Mental, NP). More overshadows of taking these are, some people could possibly get side effects (Mental, NP). These side effects do not usually last long, maybe a few days or so. People taking antispasmodics are at risk of getting side effects (Mental, NP). Side effects such as persistent muscle spasms, tremors, and restlessness may occur with a physical movement but not always (Mental, NP).If people are taking any other medications when they are taking antispasmodics, the two medications together could react badly (Mental, NP). Side effects that could possibly happen while taking monotheistic are drowsiness, dizziness when moving, blurry vision, tachycardia, sensitive to the sun, and rashes (Mental, NP). Taking antispasmodics may result in major weight gain, and possible changes in their metabolism (Mental, NP). People who experience this are recommended to not drive at all until they get situated with their antispasmodic medicine (Mental, NP). They tell you these things for the person's safety and well-being.

Book Report †Middle School Series Essay

? Rafe Khatchadorian has enough issues around his family life, without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix. Luckily, he’s got an incredible plan for the best year ever, if only he can pull it off. With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to break every rule in his school’s Code of Conduct. Having gum in class scores him 5,000 points, running through the hallways, another 10,000 points and pulling the fire alarm, 50,000 points! But not everyone thinks that Rafe’s game is a good idea, especially the teachers, parents and other students at the school, so he’ll have to decide if winning is all that matters, or if he’s finally ready to face the rules, bullies, and truths he’s been avoiding. http://www. jamespatterson. com/books_middleSchool. php#. UWY9FFdstN4 Middle School the Worst Years of My Life is written by James Patterson and is a realistic fiction book that takes you through the journey of Rafe’s first year at middle school, dealing with the awkwardness of crushes, bullies, and family issues as he tries to break every rule in the school’s Code of Conduct. The book features many different pictures that tell you what’s going on as well, and is considered a graphic novel. Middle School the Worst Years of my Life received a critical acclaim from the most reviewers, it won the YALSA 2012’s Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers award and James Patterson got nominated for the Children’s Book Council’s Author of the Year award. James has written well over 50 books, a lot of them being in series, and has won many awards. Middle School the Worst Years of My Life is the first book in the Middle School series. The setting of the Middle School series is in middle school. There is no specific day or time that this book is set in, other than it being during middle school. A lot of the time the rules that are broken are broken within the school timing, but there are one or two rules that get broken out of school times. I think the setting has been chosen well, and believed it suited the book well. The novel starts with Rafe entering sixth grade at Hills Village Middle School. Beginning the new school year with a negative mindset means that Rafe starts the year bored and believes that ‘it was a prison Pilgrims back then, but not too much has changed. Now it’s a prison for sixth, seventh and eighth graders. ’ Rafe quickly understands that he will be stuck in middle school for 3 years, and invents â€Å"Operation R. A. F. E. † with his best friend Leonardo the Silent. The plan was to break every single rule in the schools handbook. He also has to put up with the issues in his home life. His mum is always working double shifts at a diner and never gets time with her children, Rafe, and Rafe’s younger sister, Georgia. He has a verbally abusive stepfather (Bear) who looks after him when his mother is away. Then, there’s Jeanne Galletta, who Rafe is madly in love with. Jeanne is a doubtful of Rafe’s plan and wishes he would spend more time on school work then his games. Operation R. A. F. E’s consequences consists of many detentions with his English teacher, Ms. Donatello. This creates tension between Rafe’s family, and after having a fight with Bear about Leonardo and how he is a bad influence on Rafe, we discover that Leonardo is Rafe’s imaginary friend. Rafe’s actions eventually lead to bad grades, getting himself suspended, and then forced to be tutored by Jeanne, whom he had been trying to avoid because she doesn‘t like him. While the tension in the family gets stronger, Bear throws Rafe’s mother to the ground and moves out, Rafe gets expelled for spraying graffiti on the school walls, but Ms. Donatello see’s the potential artist within him and comes up with the idea to send him to art school. The final part of the book reveals that Leonardo is Rafe’s dead twin brother. An exciting part of the novel is when Rafe graffiti’s the school wall at four in the morning. ‘The next morning, I left a note for Mom saying that I had to go to school extra early to work on a project, which was basically true. I just left out the part about how early meant four in the morning and project meant highly illegal activity. â€Å"You’re not going to regret this,† Leo kept telling me. The way he saw it, the whole point of Operation R. A. F. E. was about breaking rules, so why should I let a little thing like losing the game stop me from doing the part I’d been looking forward to the most? Like I said before – genius†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I unpacked my new flat black marker, a big old camping flashlight, and some of my latest practice sketches. I’d drawn these ones on graph paper, which is kind of like a brick wall, to show me how big everything would need to be. But Leo was feeling impatient, â€Å"You don’t need those anymore,† he said. â€Å"The clock’s ticking. Stop thinking so much and just go. † So I did. I set up the flashlight on a rock so that it was shining right at the wall. Then I picked up my marker and started. It was king of slow-moving at the beginning. I wasn’t sure what to draw first, or what order to do things in. But the more I kept going, the more I got into it, and then somewhere along the way everything started to flow†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. After a while I was running around like crazy, working over here, working over there and getting up on an old trash can to reach the higher parts when I needed to. The whole thing started to get so big that I felt like I was inside it, even while I was still drawing. It was like Leo had said – I wasn’t thinking anymore. I was just doing it, like the marker was just another part of me, and the lines and shapes and pictures were coming right out of my hand. ’ After a while, the police show up, and are surprised that a kid had done all that work, but then again, it was illegal, so into the cop car went Rafe and Leo. I like this part of the novel because I felt as if I was in the actual scene. It was as if I was Leo and I was scared we’d get caught. This scene, although it’s short, it was intense. You didn’t want Rafe to get caught, but you wanted to know what would have happened when he got caught. I just believe that the way this chapter/scene has been written makes it believable and makes you feel like you’re there. The style of this novel is average pace. The novel begins out very slowly, and it doesn’t have much meaning, but once the novel gets a fair way into it, the drama begins, and the pace slowly picks up. At the end of the novel, things get more intense and more happens in a shorter amount of time, and by the end of the novel, so much has happened, that it takes a while to comprehend what has happened, but you realise that James wrote it that way for a reason, and to me, that reason was so that he could have a short book, that had a lot in it, and might eventually be able to make a movie, much like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies. The Worst Years of my Life uses a lot of slang humour, but not so much that it’s over powering, it’s just enough that it creates the characteristics of the book. A genre is the category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. There are several genre’s the feature in this novel, some more than others. The genres that feature heavily in Middle School the Worst Years of My Life are: Comedy Humour Drama The genre that is featured in the book, but not as heavily is romance. Have you ever had a crush on someone and had them not like you back? Romance is a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love. Rafe Khatchadorian discovers his feelings for Jeanne Galletta on one of his first days at school. They were all sitting in the school gym and she was one of the candidates for the student council representatives and part way through or speech, she offers to buy Rafe fries later that day, and that’s when he knew he liked her. Towards the end of the novel, Rafe’s grades start to go downhill and the school as well as his Mum think it’s a good idea to get some extra help. Little did Rafe know that his dream girl Jeanne was going to be his tutor. Even though Rafe is a teenage boy who likes girls, middle school would not be any good without a sense of humor or a comedian mixed into the scene. The biggest class clown in the school is here, and his name? Rafe Khatchadorian. A class clown is the funniest person in the class who often gets in trouble. Rafe’s first year at middle school is spent trouble making and trying to make people laugh, but not everyone thinks that his plan to break every rule in the Code of Conduct. Miller the Killer was the school bully, and his new prey is Rafe. Throughout Rafe’s middle school year, he comes into conflict with Miller many times. The biggest thing that happens to Rafe because of Miller the Killer is when he discovers Rafe’s notebook with all the Operation R. A. F. E. (Rules Aren’t For Everyone) and makes Rafe buy each page back off of him for a dollar a page, but Rafe discovers Miller’s plan with the notebook early on, and it isn’t pretty. Miller the Killer enjoys making Rafe’s first year at middle school hell, but Rafe enjoys the humorous side of school. School is tough on everyone, so what’s the best way to get through? Have fun! And that’s what Rafe intends to do by breaking all the rules in the Code of Conduct and earning himself points. The catch is, he only gets given three lives, and if he breaks all three, the games over. All the seriousness aside, Rafe gives himself, and Leo a good laugh. The funniest scene in the book to me was when Rafe decides to break the schools dress code, and he was given the best chance to do this with Halloween just around the corner. Leo knew that it would only be a matter of time before Rafe was caught by a teacher, so Leo was giving him 10,000 points for every 50 yards of the school he covered in his costume. Rafe ran, as fast as he could in all black, with a pocket full of Cheerios as throwing stars, and nunchucks made from paper towel roles with rope knotted at either end. Yep, you guessed it. Rafe was a ninja. ‘I came tearing out of that bathroom at full speed and just kept running – through the first floor (10,000! ), up the stairs (10,000! ), down the second floor hall past all the lockers (10,000! ), throwing Cheerios and swinging my nunchucks like crazy. ’ Right before he got caught, Miller the Killer was right in his aim. ‘I made sure my mask was pulled down tight over my face. Then I took a big windup as I went by, and beaned him upside the head with one of the chucks (10,000! ). â€Å"What the – ? † Miller turned the wrong way, just as I passed him. By the time he’d figured out where I came from and where I was headed, I’d already left him in the dust. He was twice as big as me, but I was twice as fast. Eat it, Miller! ’ And then it happened. Caught right in the act. Yep, a teacher saw him†¦ Well, he ran into the teacher. Games over Rafe. ‘And then – splam! I ran right into Mrs. Stricker. Literally. Let’s just say, she wasn’t in the mood for wrestling. ’ But Rafe had another plan and it was going to earn him double points. ‘I went into the bathroom and came out a minute later without my ninja costume, running just as fast as before. Some kids got out of my way. Some even ran in the other direction. A few of the girls screamed when I cam2 through, but I don’t think they meant it. And a few people even yelled stuff like â€Å"Go, Rafe, go! † and â€Å"Don’t let ‘em get you! † Because, like I said, I wasn’t wearing my ninja costume anymore. In fact, I wasn’t wearing much of anything at all. ’ No, he wasn’t naked, but he wasn’t wearing much†¦ ‘Just sneakers, a pair of boxers, and a big old smile. Boy, did Rafe get in big trouble for that, but on the other hand, he did earn himself a lot of points! Rafe loves making people laugh, and I believe that the reason he does it isn’t for other people, but he does it to make himself feel good. I believe that the main theme in this novel is coming of age and growing up into a better person in a way. To me, I think this means that by using the resources that are around you (family, friends etc. ) to become the person you are supposed to be. For Rafe, this is trying to get over his prank, funny, humorous stage, and into the more serious schooling stage. This can be hard for some people, especially when they don’t get along with their family, and when their only friend is in their imagination, but by the end of the book, Rafe has realised that even though he isn’t academically smart, he does have a gift with art, which sees him going to art school. Love is also in the novel, as Rafe discovers Jeanne Galletta, but it doesn’t impact on the story as much as growing up does. The main characters in the book are: Rafael (Rafe) Khatchadorian – Rafe is the trouble maker in the story who is in his first year at Hills Village Middle School. Rafe is important because without him, there is no story. I like this character because he makes the book fun. Even though he isn’t an actual person, this character has a funny personality and a childish sense of humour. I believe that James Patterson has described this character well. Georgia Khatchadorian – Georgia is Rafe’s annoying little sister who likes to be in everyone’s business and know what’s going on in Rafe’s life, especially when he is in trouble. She is also the family tattletale and always dobs Rafe in when she catches him doing something wrong. Even though Georgia annoys Rafe a lot, he also protects her, which is like all siblings love-hate relationships. I like her because I think I can relate to her because I am the younger sister in my family, and I like to annoy my older brother, but I also know that he will always be there for me. I think that Georgia is a main character in this story because she is a part of Rafe’s home issues because she never leaves him alone and always wants to know what’s going on in his life. Carl AKA Bear – Bear is Georgia and Rafe’s, abusive, rude, obese stepdad who can be found on the couch. Bear is often yelling at Rafe after school. He also argues with Mrs. Khatchadorian, Rafe and Georgia’s mum, and one argument let Bear to accidently push her down the front steps, and when the police show up, it doesn’t look good for Carl. I don’t like him at all! He’s so rude and obnoxious, and I would hate to have a step parent as bad as him. Leonardo (Leo) the Silent – Leo is Rafe’s best friend, who we later discover is in his imagination. We also later find out that Leo was Rafe’s twin brother who died when he was still a baby. I think that Leo is the glue that holds everything together. He helps Rafe with school, with home, and he gives him the motivation to keep going when things get tough. I really like Leo the Silent because even though he isn’t real, he is the perfect best friend. Jeanne (Jay-Gee) Galletta – Jeanne is Rafe’s crush. He is madly in love with her, but she is also the goody-two-shoes of the school, and she hates Operation R. A. F. E. I like her but I don’t. I feel like she tries too hard to be a good student, and doesn’t give herself enough freedom, which is why I don’t like her. I think that being a teenager, or getting to that stage  means that you can manage school and social life, and to me, it’s like she has no social life. She’s important in the story because as we get older, we start to see people in different ways, and we start to like them, and I believe that Jeanne is important because without her, it’s not a real adolescent’s life. Ms. Donatello AKA the Dragon Lady – Ms. Donatello is Rafe’s English teacher, as well as his detention buddy. Even though she is strict and can get aggravated easily, she also has Rafe’s best interest at heart and wouldn’t help him if she didn’t believe he was better than what he shows. I like her because I have had plenty of teachers that are hard on me, but they do it because they want what’s best, and without that push, we wouldn’t grow and evolve as people. I understand why Rafe doesn’t particular like her, but teachers always want what’s best, and he will eventually see that. Miller AKA Miller the Killer – Miller is the school bully, hence the name ‘Miller the Killer. ’ He is constantly giving Rafe a hard time throughout his first year at middle school, and without the school bully, school wouldn’t be school. There is always that one person that puts people down to make themselves feel good, although not a lot of bullies take kids lunch money, but hurt them mentally, or even physically. I don’t like Miller because I believe that he hurts people because he can and he needs to get disciplined. Without Miller, or a bully in the book, it wouldn’t be like school life, so I can understand why James Patterson included him in it. I’m not much of a reader, but I really enjoyed this book, and I found it easy to understand and comprehend because of the little sketches throughout the book. This book is much like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and I believe it is aimed at the same kind of age group. I think that I was too old to read this novel, but I didn’t find it so easy that I could just read it in a day, but not hard enough that it took me forever to read. It was a good balance, so I would suggest it for kids 13 years old and younger, somewhere between 9 and 13. To be honest, it was a good book, but it could have been made longer so not everything happened at once towards the end. In general, it was a good read, and I would recommend it to younger kids who enjoy having a good laugh and getting into trouble.